Feeding mechanism for sewing-machines.



L. ONDERDONK. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.5,1905.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

2 QHEETS-SHEET 1v L. ONDERDONK. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACH1NES.

1 ,1 21 1 2'7, Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

APPLHJATION FILED APR-5.1905.

llNlTED @TATES LANSING ONDERDONK, OF NEW YORK, N.

COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINO Y., ASSIGNOR 'IO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE IS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed April 5, 1905. Serial No. 254,012.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LANSING ONDERDONK, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to sewing machines,

and particularly to machines of that classemployed in the sewing of knit fabrics, where it is essential to compensate for the stretching action of the usual feeding devices.

In the sewing of knit goods, the feed dog and presser foot exercise a flattening and stretching action on the goods, and there is more or less puckering of the finished article.

The principal object of the present invention is to prevent this stretching and puckering by fulling or crowding the fabric in advance of the needle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a feed mechanism of such construction that the rate of feed at the front of entrance end will be in excess of that at the discharge end.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of feed dog, in which the fabric-engaging surface is of such character as to exercise feeding action of difierent character, or of different effectiveness, at different points in its length.

A. still further object of the invention is to provide a feed dog having a retarding surface arranged between positive or serrated feeding surfaces.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a feed dog having its upper surface inclined upward toward the front or entrance end, and provided with a group of preliminary or fulling feed serrations, and

aving at its rear and lower end a series of serrations or teeth to effect discharge of the gabric from engagement with the presser oot.

lVith these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood t at various changes in the form, proportions and minor details of construction of the apparatus may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a transverse sectional view of sufficient of a sewing machine to illustrate the invention; Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of the feed dog and presser foot on an exaggerated scale; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the feed dog; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View of the machine looking in the direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 1, and showing more of the mechanical details; and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the feeding mechanism and the throat plate.

A is the bed of the machine; B, the driving shaft; C the feed rocker, the parts being actuated in the usual way from a crank pin onthe end of the driving shaft and the cam on the driving shaft imparting the vertical movement to the dog. s usual. 7

The feed dog F is mounted in any suitable manner, as, for instance, in the manner shown in the patent granted to R. G. Woodward, October 24th, 1905, #802,789, and its upper or feeding surface is arranged at a slight angle to the horizontal. the outer end being the highest so that it will engage with the fabric in advance of the rear portion of the dog. and thus full or crowd the fabric toward the needle. the feed being faster at the front than at the discharge end in order to prevent the stretching and consequent puckering of the goods, as previously pointed out.

The feeding teeth or serrations are arranged in two spaced groups, one, 10, at the front and higher end of the dog. and the other 11, at the lower andv rear end of said dog. and the front serrations are extended back to a point to the rear of the needle n. to hold the fabric gathered or fulled until it has been stitched down. Between the rearmost of the front group of serrations, and the first of the rear group is a smooth or untoothed surface 12, which is preferably in the plane of the points or crowns of the teeth, and acts as a retarder goods feeding freely back of the needle. the device acting practically as two independent feed dogs, spaced by a retarding means.

Owing to the inclination of the feed dog,

to prevent the l the group of serrations in advance of me needle moves the fabric ahead until it reaches the untoothed or smooth surface 12, which retards movement of the fabric, and by holding the same permits the forward end of the dog to full in said fabric, and prevents the rear group of teeth from feeding the fabric beyond the heel of the presser foot at the same speed. r

In the rising and forward movement of the feed dog the front group of teeth will be elevated above the plane of the throat plate before the smooth portion of the feed dog and before the rear group of teeth, that islto say in the cycle of operation the front teeth engage the fabric first and the smooth surface engages the'fabric subsequently to the engagement thereof by the front teeth and likewise the rear teeth. engage the fabric subsequently-to the engagement thereof by thesmooth surface. This is due to the fact that the feed dog is inclined to the horizontal and the front teeth are. always above. thesmooth surface and the smooth surface is above the rear teeth of the feed dog, and the feed dog is raisedvertically into engagement with the fabric. This movementof the feed dog will cause the front teeth to push retarding surface and the fabric will thus be fulled or gathered and the stitches will pass through the gathered portion. I-have referred to the action of the smooth surface of the feed dog as aretarding action because it clamps the goods against the presser foot and being a non-feeding surface, it will cause afriction holding back the fabric to assist in gathering it in front of the needle and also to prevent too free moving of thefabric by the rear portion of the feed dog Having thus described my inventiomwhat I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sewing machine, including in combination, a needle, feeding mechanism, means for causing said feeding mechanism to feed the material in advance, of the needle'faster than in rear thereof said feeding mechanism having a toothed material in advance of serrations the fabric onto the 7 ing "portion engaging the of'the needle, and a smooth material engaging retarding portion directly in rear of the toothed portion and engaging and movable horizontally with said material subsequent to the engagement thereof by the toothed portion.

2. A sewing machine including in combination, a cloth plate, a feed dog which is .inclined the rear relative to said-cloth plate, whereby the front portion of said feed dog is adapted to engage the material in advance of the remaining portion thereof, said feed dog having a toothed portion at the front end thereof, and a plane portion directly in rear of the toothed portion, the. upper surface of said plane portion being substantially in line with the crown of the toothed portion.

- 3. A sewing machine includin in combination, a cloth plate, a needle, a eed dog inclined from front to rear relative to said cloth plate and having two groups of fabric engaging serrations located one in advance of theother, the front group of serrations beinglocated in'front of the needle and extending to, or beyond thesame, said groups being divided by a non-fabric feeding portion, the front group of serrationsbeing so disposed relative to the rear group of serrations as to engage the material in advance thereof.

feed dog hav- 4. In a sewing machine a its feeding face inclinedvupward toward the front end with respect to the cloth plate of the machine and provided. with front and rear groups of teeth or serrations, divided by a blank space disposed in the plane of the crowns of the teeth; substantially'as described.

5. In a sewing machine, including a needle, a feed dog inclined with respect to the cloth platehaving front and rear feeding surfaces separated by a non-feeding surface, the vertical plane of movement of the needle being in advance of the non-feeding surface, substantially as described.

I n testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, LANSING .QNDERDONK.

Witnesses:

W. L. SWIFT, Gno. H. Connnnovnn. 

